As one of the youngest players on the team, Giovani Casillas, or “Yova” as he is known around the club, says that he enjoys keeping the mood light and enjoyable around his teammates. Whether at training, at home or in the locker room, Casillas, 19, says his favorite method of doing so is music.

Born in Guadalajara, the Chivas Guadalajara product has always had a passion for music, most notably regional Mexican. Casillas points to his family as the ones who instilled that love for music at functions and gathering at an early age.

“Mi family has always been big on singing,” Casillas said. “My dad plays the guitar and so does my brother. I think it was there where it started. There was a time where my dad wanted to have me play the drums and have my brother sing and play guitar, as a fun hobby for us.”

But the midfielder acknowledges that there was never any doubt about where his first passion was, so he went onto pursuing his career in soccer. Casillas came up through Guadalajara’s youth ranks and etched his name in Mexican National Team history as a member of the U-17 squad. Casillas scored the second goal in the title game of the 2011 U-17 World Cup played in Mexico’s Estadio Azteca to put the exclamation point on the 2-0 victory over Uruguay.

As huge of an accomplishment and dream as that moment was, Casillas points out to his debut in Mexico’s Primera Division with Chivas as his greatest accomplishment in his young soccer career thus far. His debut came during the Apertura 2011 tournament against Pumas UNAM and was his primary objective as a professional, he says.

Now a member of Chivas USA, Casillas says he feels right at home in Southern California, “just as if I was in Guadalajara,” he mentioned. And that comfort level is noticeable on the pitch and dressing room as well, as the first-year Rebaño Angelino midfielder can be frequently heard singing and laughing and occasionally seen displaying some of his dance floor moves during cool-down sessions or in between drills. But the young Goat mentioned how he knows when it is time to flip the switch and take care of business. It is then when he leans on some of the squad’s more veteran players such as Dan Kennedy and Walter Vilchez to learn how they assume leadership roles and communicate with teammates when needed.

“I’m cheerful, that’s how I like it,” Casillas added. “I never like to be down. I like to add a little cheer into the locker room and I always observe the veterans on the team; how they conduct themselves, how they communicate, so that when it is my turn to fill that role I can do it just like them.”

The left-footed midfielder has already shown flashes of what he can bring to the Red-and-White. Casillas has appeared in five matches in his first year in the League, recording his first Major League Soccer goal in Week 2 during a 3-1 home win against FC Dallas. And how did he celebrate his first goal with Chivas USA? The same way he did for the goal in the World Cup – doing a little dance step for the crowd cheering on him.